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Menasha, Wis. - Thousands gathered Saturday as a parade kicked off the 100th Anniversary celebration of Pierce Manufacturing.
The parade was led off by a 1976 Pierce pumper with a unique red,
white and blue paint scheme from Jonesboro, Ind. The rig was delivered
the year of the bicentennial.
The pumper drove down American Drive in front of the sprawling plant,
with at least 4,000 lining the street as over 60 Pierce and Oshkosh
apparatus used lights and sirens to excite the crowd. The parade
featured rigs from the Fox Valley region as well as newly built units
heading to China and Hawaii.

"It's all about that people first culture," said Pierce CEO Jim
Johnson. "We can't believe the number of retirees that came back, the
customers, the suppliers. We had over 7,000 people register to come."
Some estimates placed over 10,000 people in attandance.
For the first time, Pierce opened the door of their plant to the public as part of the celebration.
Pierce has built over 50,000 apparatus from the Wisconsin and Florida
plants over the last 100 years. Those units have been delivered all
around the world.
"What most people don't realize is that all of those trucks are handmade," said Johnson.
"They're the first on the scene of a tragedy. We always hope and pray
that they never need to be used, but sadly they do like in San
Francisco last week," Johnson said. "But, it makes us feel good that at
least the mission of what we do everyday helps to serve, protect and
potentially save other people."
"A lot of companies don't make it past the first decade let alone the
first century and so really there's a handful of companies like that
here in the state of Wisconsin," Gov. Scott Walker said as hundreds
cheered him on.
Dudley Pierce, grandson of Pierce's co-founder, attended the celebration and he lauded the workers.
"Forty percent of them have been here 20 years or longer," Pierce
said. "Now, that's got to say something about the corporate culture and
the people that are here."
The various buildings at the facility were open for tours and guests
were walked through the manufacturing, painting and graphics proceses.
A large display on the history of Pierce was set up next to a large
banner where attendees were encouraged to leave their memories of
Pierce. Hundreds signed the banner with stories, and retirees shared how
long they had worked there.

When asked about the next 100 years, Johnson said "we look forward to continuing to serve the fire service and their needs."
On Sunday, close to 600 particiated in a 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb at
nearby Lambeau Field. The event honored firefighters who died in New
York City on Sept. 11 and benefited the National Fallen Firefighters
Foundation.